Nonrepeating photonic crystal may enable more tunable, reliable semiconductor lasers

Over the past two decades, photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) have shown promise as a type of advanced semiconductor laser useful in defense- and aerospace-related applications. Typically, these devices are made with photonic crystal patterns that repeat across the area of the device. But new research from the lab of electrical and computer engineering professor Kent Choquette has demonstrated a quasi-periodic photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser (QPCSEL). Fabricated with their buried dielectric platform, the group's device highlights a new avenue for creating tunable, mor...